<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Daylight Savings Time Debacle: Clocks Move Early for 'Happiness'
<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" width="100%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="57%">By Jack Kramer
Mar 10, 2007</td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="43%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Thank you Congress. The sharp minds on Capitol Hill created a bill called the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and that was signed into law and now that brilliant piece of legislation has changed the dates for Daylight Savings Time to start and end. That means one more month of DST. The hope is that the extra hour of daylight in the evening will help us all save money with energy consumption and make us 'happy'. The Star-Tribune notes that the idea behind DST is to move an hour of "wasted" sunlight to the other end of the day, when people are actually awake.
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</td></tr> <tr><td>Daylight Savings Time Debacle: Clocks Move Ahead Early for 'Happiness'</td></tr> </tbody></table> The report notes that because of the extra hour of sunlight in the evening, people don't have to turn their lights on, and that saves electricity. The savings are not gigantic -- maybe only 1 percent or 2 percent of a country's total electrical consumption is saved. But in a country as big as the United States, a 1 percent reduction in electricity consumption is a lot of electricity.
A U.S. Department of Transportation study claimed that the extended Daylight-saving times in the ’70s saved an estimated 10,000 barrels of oil each day. In addition to energy savings, the study found extended Daylight-saving reduced accidents during the evening commute and actually cut down on crime.
Former DOT employee David Prerau is in bed with Markey on this and is quoted as saying, "The main thing for people to remember about this is that energy savings is just one facet of what is happening. The second benefit is that it reduces traffic accidents — there is two to three times more traffic at night than in the morning hours, not to mention that drivers at night tend to be more tired and more may have consumed a few drinks on the way home; it is more beneficial to have the daylight then." "Third is that there is very little crime just before sunrise as opposed to just after sunset. Daylight reduces crime, which is why you see artificial daylight in parking lots after it gets dark."
Again, this is from the study in the 1970's that is always challenged.
And they wonder why Congress has such low approval ratings.
:drink:
Read about this a while ago and again last week, but thought the move ahead was next week.
<hr noshade="noshade" size="1" width="100%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="57%">By Jack Kramer
Mar 10, 2007</td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="43%"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> Thank you Congress. The sharp minds on Capitol Hill created a bill called the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and that was signed into law and now that brilliant piece of legislation has changed the dates for Daylight Savings Time to start and end. That means one more month of DST. The hope is that the extra hour of daylight in the evening will help us all save money with energy consumption and make us 'happy'. The Star-Tribune notes that the idea behind DST is to move an hour of "wasted" sunlight to the other end of the day, when people are actually awake.
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Of course not everyone believes this. One theory is that by getting people up earlier, you are having them turn on their A/C earlier. Some studies have noted that that the extra hour of running A/C offsets, or exceeds the energy savings of DST. The whole idea of moving the clocks ahead has always been a debacle. A national shift to extend DST was last done in the early ’70s when the Middle East issued a trade embargo against Israel and its allies. The U.S. responded by extending Daylight-saving to 10 months in 1974 and eight months in 1975.A U.S. Department of Transportation study claimed that the extended Daylight-saving times in the ’70s saved an estimated 10,000 barrels of oil each day. In addition to energy savings, the study found extended Daylight-saving reduced accidents during the evening commute and actually cut down on crime.
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While that study was severely flawed that is what Congress used to decide to bump it again. U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, ( D-Mass) has pushed for this mess. In Markey’s words it would also, “hopefully bring a smile to everyone’s face." Former DOT employee David Prerau is in bed with Markey on this and is quoted as saying, "The main thing for people to remember about this is that energy savings is just one facet of what is happening. The second benefit is that it reduces traffic accidents — there is two to three times more traffic at night than in the morning hours, not to mention that drivers at night tend to be more tired and more may have consumed a few drinks on the way home; it is more beneficial to have the daylight then." "Third is that there is very little crime just before sunrise as opposed to just after sunset. Daylight reduces crime, which is why you see artificial daylight in parking lots after it gets dark."
Again, this is from the study in the 1970's that is always challenged.
***
Both Markey and Prerau also feel that an increase in sunlight would boost morale across the country, especially in areas coming out of long, harsh winters. Hard to believe this ever passed after the 1970's move, and all for our 'happiness.'And they wonder why Congress has such low approval ratings.
:drink:
Read about this a while ago and again last week, but thought the move ahead was next week.
